Madison, UMN Doctorate of Occupational Therapy Program
Congrats to Madison on her acceptance into the University of Minnesota’s Doctorate of Occupational Therapy Program! If you’re an ACR employee who recently got accepted into their graduate, nursing, medical school or other program please email sarah.abbott@acrhomes.com to be featured here!
Name: Madison Naylor
Accepted to: University of Minnesota Doctorate of Occupational Therapy Program
Major: Biology
Undergrad University: University of Minnesota
Work at ACR: I’ve been with ACR for nearly two years and within that time I have gained the most priceless experiences. Aside from the medical skills that I have learned such as proper charting techniques, medication admin, hoyer lift and g-tube usage, etc., my biggest takeaways from ACR have been through my friendship and relationships with my residents. Working as a direct care professional has allowed me to grow in my ability to advocate for others and appreciate helping them achieve their best quality of life. I’ve also been able to learn about adaptive equipment, behavior support plans, and other customized interventions, all of which is great experience and OT related.
Total PCE hours: I’ve gained around 1500+ direct/patient care hours through both ACR and my other PCA job!
Shadowing hours: On my application I had around 100 healthcare shadow hours, gained from both one-time shadow opportunities (catholic eldercare, HCMC, an elementary school OT, etc.) as well as occasionally from my longer-term volunteer positions such as at Regions Clinic, Fraser, and Gillette Children’s Hospital.
Other volunteer hours: 200+ (Regions, Fraser, Gillette, Animal Humane Society)
Additional Involvements: During my undergraduate career I worked within two research labs; one of which was the Leatherdale Genetics and Genomics Lab, and the other was a Psychology /Neuromodulation lab in Spain during my time abroad. I also had leadership positions in the U of M Pre-OT Organization and within my sorority as academic chair.
How many programs did you apply to? Only 1!
How many programs did you interview with? The U of M did not have an interview!
Were there any helpful resources (books, websites, apps) you used to get through the application and interview process? My University’s Pre-OT club was extremely helpful and supportive regarding walking members through the application process. I was also able to receive help and guidance from a friend and coworker already admitted into the program I was interested in!
Any other advice for other pre-OT students? My advice is to try to gain as much of a variety in shadow opportunities as possible! Shadowing different age ranges (ie. geriatric-focused facilities vs. pediatric hospitals) as well as different settings (hospitals vs. schools, etc.) allowed me to better understand my own interests and what I want to specialize in as a future OT! It also looks great on an application to show your dedication towards the field and determination to truly learn as much as possible about the profession. Around Minneapolis there are so many clinics and hospitals that offer shadow opportunities, volunteer positions, etc.! I remember emailing as many different facilities and OT’s as I could find around Minneapolis, and even though some never responded, many of them did and allowed me to learn from them!